1871 Ontario general election
March 21, 1871
82 seats in the 2nd Legislative Assembly of Ontario
42 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Edward Blake John Sandfield Macdonald
Party Liberal Conservative
Leader's seat Bruce South Cornwall
Last election 41 41
Seats won 43 38
Seat change Increase2 Decrease3
Premier before election

John Sandfield Macdonald
Conservative

 Premier after election

Edward Blake
Liberal

The 1871 Ontario general election was the second general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on March 21, 1871, to elect the 82 Members of the 2nd Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("MLAs").[1]

The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Edward Blake, won a slim majority of the seats, and formed the government.

The Ontario Conservative Party, led by John Sandfield Macdonald, served as the official opposition.

Electoral reforms

Earlier in 1871, the Legislative Assembly passed an Act to give the courts jurisdiction to rule on petitions dealing with corrupt practices in elections.[2]

In 1872, the Parliament of Canada passed an Act to compel MPs who were also members of a provincial legislature to resign such seats if they wished to stand again in a federal election.[3] Five MLAs in the 1871 election were thus obliged to leave the Legislative Assembly in order to stand in federal ridings in 1872.

Results

[4]

Elections to the 2nd Parliament of Ontario (1871)
Political party Party leader MLAs Votes
Candidates 1867 1871 ± # ± % ± (pp)
Liberal 7641432Increase68,3669,323Decrease52.30%3.54Increase
Conservative 7341383Decrease59,92620,185Decrease45.85%4.44Decrease
Conservative-Liberal 1–11Increase1,1161,1160.85%New
Independent 9–––1,303220Decrease1.00%0.04Increase
Total 15982 88 130,711 100.00%
Voter turnout 130,711 28,612Decrease 62.93 10.93Decrease
Registered electors 207,717 8,005Decrease
Acclamations █ Liberal7
█ Conservative8
Other candidates receiving nil votes[a 1] █ Independent2
  1. ↑ one in Halton, and another in Peel
Seats and popular vote by party
PartySeatsVotesChange (pp)
█ Liberal
43 / 88
52.30%
3.54 3.54
 
█ Conservative
38 / 88
45.85%
-4.44
 
█ Other
1 / 88
1.85%
0.90 0.9
 

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1871 Ontario general election[4]
Riding Winning party Turnout Votes
Name[a 1] 1867 Party Votes Share Margin
#		 Margin
%		 Lib Con CL Ind Total
 
Addington Con Lib 80950.82%261.63%59.31%809783––1,592
Algoma Con Con acclaimed
Bothwell Lib Lib 1,30455.02%23810.04%72.17%1,3041,066––2,370
Brant North Lib Lib 74060.26%25220.52%60.73%740488––1,228
Brant South Con Con 1,17252.70%1205.40%66.55%1,0521,172––2,224
Brockville and Elizabethtown Con Con 62050.28%70.57%66.33%613620––1,233
Bruce North Lib Lib acclaimed
Bruce South Lib Lib 2,08255.21%39310.42%79.79%2,082[a 2]1,689––3,771
Cardwell Con CL 1,11663.16%46526.32%67.14%651–1,116–1,767
Carleton Lib Con 82250.31%100.61%63.46%812822––1,634
Cornwall Con Con acclaimed
Dundas Lib Lib 1,21656.09%26412.18%76.28%1,216952––2,168
Durham East Con Con acclaimed
Durham West Lib Lib acclaimed[a 2]
Elgin East Con Lib 1,44253.11%1696.22%63.82%1,4421,273––2,715
Elgin West Con Lib 96955.69%19811.38%76.55%969771––1,740
Essex Con Lib 1,20451.23%41817.79%50.95%1,204786–3602,350
Frontenac Con Con acclaimed
Glengarry Con Con 96252.89%1055.77%72.30%857962––1,819
Grenville South Con Con 79751.22%382.44%76.42%759797––1,556
Grey North Con Con 1,33958.42%38616.84%50.22%9531,339––2,292
Grey South Con Con 1,62559.92%53819.84%61.83%1,0871,625––2,712
Haldimand Lib Lib 1,21260.78%43021.56%59.90%1,212782––1,994
Halton Lib Lib 1,19455.98%25511.95%57.51%1,194939––2,133
Hamilton Lib Lib 1,29454.23%2028.47%60.54%1,2941,092––2,386
Hastings East Con Con 18688.57%16277.14%10.10%24186––210
Hastings North Con Con 60486.04%50672.08%41.29%98604––702
Hastings West Con Con acclaimed
Huron North Con Lib 2,25955.86%47411.72%68.67%2,2591,785––4,044
Huron South Lib Lib 1,56153.55%2077.10%71.64%1,5611,354––2,915
Kent Lib Lib 1,38253.55%1837.09%61.15%1,3821,199––2,581
Kingston Con Con 60750.04%211.73%58.21%586607–201,213
Lambton Lib Lib acclaimed
Lanark North Lib Lib acclaimed
Lanark South Con Con 81642.88%1507.88%66.10%666816–4211,903
Leeds North and Grenville North Lib Con 72361.01%26122.03%52.71%462723––1,185
Leeds South Con Con acclaimed
Lennox Con Con 1,18356.41%26912.83%62.95%–2,097[a 3]––2,097
Lincoln Con Con acclaimed
London Con Con 98563.84%42727.67%57.06%558985––1,543
Middlesex East Lib Con 1,62251.41%892.82%74.92%1,5331,622––3,155
Middlesex North Lib Lib 1,28656.58%29913.15%69.34%1,286987––2,273
Middlesex West Con Lib 1,36258.81%40817.62%77.17%1,362954––2,316
Monck Con Con 93150.13%50.27%66.35%926931––1,857
Niagara Con Con 27762.25%10924.49%56.98%168277––445
Norfolk North Con Lib 1,12256.78%26813.56%74.43%1,122854[a 4]––1,976
Norfolk South Lib Lib 1,00953.30%1256.60%71.73%1,009884[a 4]––1,893
Northumberland East Lib Lib 69437.70%301.63%53.22%694664–4831,841
Northumberland West Lib Lib 1,01350.90%361.81%67.48%1,013977––1,990
Ontario North Lib Lib 1,27973.80%83348.07%44.11%1,279446––1,733
Ontario South Lib Lib 1,18052.17%984.33%65.81%1,1801,082––2,262
Ottawa Lib Lib 57476.33%39652.66%27.68%574178––752
Oxford North Lib Lib acclaimed
Oxford South Lib Lib 1,43057.78%38515.56%65.86%1,4301,045––2,475
Peel Con Con 1,11851.36%592.71%75.91%1,0591,118––2,177
Perth North Con Con 1,63057.88%44415.77%68.20%1,1861,630––2,816
Perth South Lib Con 1,30250.60%311.20%71.99%1,2711,302––2,573
Peterborough East Con Con 77961.68%29923.67%60.55%480779–41,263
Peterborough West Con Lib 64852.13%534.26%69.91%648595––1,243
Prescott Lib Con 85354.26%1348.52%75.61%719853––1,572
Prince Edward Lib Lib 1,52252.23%1304.46%78.19%1,5221,392[a 5]––2,914
Renfrew North Con Con 64056.74%15213.48%74.31%488640––1,128
Renfrew South Lib Con 44863.46%19026.91%59.88%258448––706
Russell Con Con 77351.29%463.05%56.15%727773–71,507
Simcoe North Lib Con 1,35444.39%31310.26%69.41%1,696[a 6]1,354––3,050
Simcoe South Con Con acclaimed
Stormont Con Con 70550.18%50.36%74.34%700705––1,405
Toronto East Con Con 1,23252.56%1205.12%52.26%1,1121,232––2,344
Toronto West Con Lib 1,48753.05%1716.10%51.84%1,4871,316––2,803
Victoria North Lib Con 51854.76%909.51%61.55%428518––946
Victoria South Lib Lib 1,04660.05%35020.09%59.97%1,742[a 7]–––1,742
Waterloo North Lib Lib acclaimed
Waterloo South Lib Lib 1,21560.27%41420.54%69.42%1,215801––2,016
Welland Lib Lib 1,18253.12%1396.25%61.08%2,225[a 8]–––2,225
Wellington Centre Con Lib 1,46564.94%67429.88%58.89%1,465791––2,256
Wellington North Lib Lib 1,53163.53%65227.05%59.40%1,531879––2,410
Wellington South Lib Lib acclaimed
Wentworth North Lib Lib 1,07157.24%27114.48%70.95%1,071800––1,871
Wentworth South Lib Lib 95766.97%48533.94%56.08%957472––1,429
York East Lib Lib 79170.19%45540.37%36.52%791336––1,127
York North Lib Con 1,30650.10%50.19%66.64%1,3011,306––2,607
York West Con Lib 86556.32%19412.63%62.54%865671––1,536
  1. ↑ order is as given in EO reports
  2. 1 2 Edward Blake was elected in two ridings.
  3. ↑ the incumbent John Stevenson received 914 votes
  4. 1 2 James Wilson (incumbent in Norfolk North) campaigned and lost in two ridings
  5. ↑ William Anderson had been elected as a Liberal in an 1870 byelection
  6. ↑ the incumbent William Lount received 655 votes
  7. ↑ the incumbent Thomas Matchett received 696 votes
  8. ↑ the incumbent William Beatty received 1,043 votes
  = open seat
  = turnout is above provincial average
  = winning candidate was in previous Legislature
  = incumbent had switched allegiance
  = previously incumbent in another riding
  = not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature
  = incumbency arose from byelection gain
  = other incumbents renominated
  = previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada
  = multiple candidates

Analysis

Party candidates in 2nd place[4]
Party in 1st placeParty in 2nd placeTotal
AcclLibCon
Liberal 723443
Conservative 829138
Conservative-Liberal 11
Total 15323582
Candidates ranked 1st to 3rd place, by party[4]
PartiesAccl1st2nd3rd
█ Liberal 736321
█ Conservative 83035
█ Conservative-Liberal 1
█ Independent 7
Resulting composition of the 2nd Legislative Assembly of Ontario[4]
SourceParty
Lib Con CL Total
Seats retainedIncumbents returned 191635
Returned by acclamation 7815
Open seats held 33
Ouster of incumbents changing allegiance 44
Defeat of incumbent by same-party candidate 213
Byelection loss reversed 11
Seats changing handsIncumbents defeated 8715
Open seats gained 3216
Total 4338182

MLAs elected by region and riding

Party designations are as follows:

  Liberal
  Conservative
  Conservative-Liberal

    Later resignations on campaigning at the federal level

    Resignation New incoming MLA
    District Outgoing MLA Elected as MP Winner
    1872 federal election
    Bruce South  Edward Blake Green tick  Rupert Mearse Wells
    London  John Carling Green tick  William Ralph Meredith
    Middlesex West  Alexander Mackenzie Green tick[a 1]  John Watterworth
    Monck  Lachlin McCallum Red X  Henry Ryan Haney
    1873 federal byelection (Durham West)
    Brant South  Edmund Burke Wood Green tick  Arthur Sturgis Hardy
    1874 federal election
    Wellington North  Robert McKim Red X[a 2]  George Turner Orton
    1. ↑ elected in Lambton
    2. ↑ campaigned in Wellington Centre

    See also

    Notes and references

    Notes

    1. ↑ Election declared void because of corrupt practices. Writ for new election issued.[5] Monk was returned in the subsequent byelection.
    2. ↑ Election declared void because of corrupt practices. Writ for new election issued.[5] Hamilton was returned in the subsequent byelection.
    3. ↑ Election declared void because of corrupt practices. Writ for new election issued.[5] James Bethune (Liberal) won the subsequent byelection.
    4. ↑ Declined the seat in favour of sitting for Bruce South[5] John McLeod (Liberal) won the subsequent byelection.
    5. ↑ Election declared void because of corrupt practices. Writ for new election issued.[5] James Simeon McCuaig (Conservative) won the subsequent byelection.
    6. ↑ Election declared void because of corrupt practices. Writ for new election issued.[5] Ardagh was returned in the subsequent byelection.
    7. ↑ Election declared void because of corrupt practices. Writ for new election issued.[5] Lauder was returned in the subsequent byelection.

    References

    1. ↑ "1871 General Election". Elections Ontario. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
    2. ↑ The Controverted Elections Act of 1871, S.O. 1870-71, c. 3
    3. ↑ An Act to compel Members of a Local Legislature in any Province where dual representation is not allowed, to resign their Seats before becoming Candidates in any Seats in the Dominion Parliament, S.C. 1872, c. 15
    4. 1 2 3 4 5 "1871 general election results". Elections Ontario. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
    5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 1872. pp. 5–15.


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